Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Koch Boys, Gates, Waltons, and Wall Street Lined Up in Support of Charter Expansion in Georgia and Washington

The Georgia initiative, as well as a ballot measure in Washington State
that would permit charters there for the first time, is being closely
watched across the country. In both states, the measures have attracted
financial support from national business leaders and advocacy groups.

In Washington, donors supporting the charter ballot initiative include
Bill and Melinda Gates; the parents of Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief
executive of Amazon; and Nicholas Hanauer, a prominent venture
capitalist. Alice Walton, the daughter of Walmart’s founder, Sam Walton,
has contributed to campaigns supporting the measures in both Georgia
and Washington.

Americans for Prosperity, the Tea Party organization founded by the
billionaire Koch brothers, has donated to a committee supporting the
charter amendment in Georgia. Students First, a group run by Michelle A.
Rhee, the former schools chancellor in the District of Columbia, has
also contributed and is helping to organize supporters in the state.

The roster of contributors in Georgia includes several companies that
manage charter schools, including K12 Inc., Charter Schools USA and
National Heritage Academies. In all, committees supporting the ballot
measure have collected 15 times as much as groups opposing the measure, according to public filings.

Opponents point to such wealthy donors and argue that the charter
amendment is part of a broader agenda designed to privatize education
and discredit public schools.

The heavy spending, some education experts say, could rouse the kind of
opposition that exploded during the teachers’ strike in Chicago in
September. The union there railed against teacher evaluations and
challenges to union seniority that are advocated by some of the same
groups behind the charter movement.

Vote for public education and against the corporate takeover of our schools.